Wednesday, March 30, 2011

This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business.

A company blog is a useful tool for small businesses hoping to give others a glimpse into the company while also promoting the company’s products and services.

While it’s never a good idea to spam readers with irrelevant promotional messages, there are plenty of ways to provide valuable information and resources to existing and potential customers.

Here are five small businesses that are using a blog to reach local communities and showcase the company’s experience and expertise. We’ve outlined exactly what they’re doing right as a guide for other small businesses to improve their own blogging activities.

1. Cure Thrift Shop: Showcase Products With Visual Creativity

Cure Thrift Shop is a non-profit organization in New York City that donates 100% of proceeds to the Diabetes Research Institute. While the company focuses completely on philanthropic endeavors, it sets up a great example for other retailers hoping to create successful blogs.

Multiple times daily, Cure staffers update the company blog with creative pictures of new furniture arrivals, standout antiques, fashion inspirations and sale alerts.

Cure hosts its blog on Tumblr, which is known for fostering a community that appreciates artistically beautiful photography. The thrift shop’s quirky photos of one-of-a-kind objects fit right into the Tumblr mix while also letting followers know what’s new at the shop.

2. The Brooklyn Kitchen: Say It With A Video

Small business owners usually have a fair amount of expertise to share with the world. A blog can be a wonderful place to flaunt all of that pent-up knowledge —...